Today is the last day of 2025 and what a year of quilting it has been!
Hubby gifted me the sewing machine in November of 2024 and I have been thoroughly enjoying it ever since!
I took the first class on how to use and maintain it in December of 2024, then the class to learn how to use the embroidery attachment in January 2025. But, for all of its abilities, basic quilt piecing has been what I’ve used it for the most.
The year started with making “The Grand Circle” quilt for our RV.
I then made three quilts using the same pattern (Bee Charming) and squares from the same fabric line (Bee Garden) for my sisters-in-law (one hasn’t received hers yet as it is waiting for the long-arm). The one not yet pictured is black & grey. I have enough left over from the Bee Garden layer cake (precut 10″ squares) to make one more quilt in this pattern.
In the spring, I made quilts for my parents for Mother’s and Father’s Day. I embroidered the occasion and the year on each of them.
I purchased some musical fabric in Arkansas in February while visiting my college roommate to celebrate her 50th birthday. I then used some of that fabric and embroidered a bird on a table square for her.
That table square used some black and white scraps I had in my stash that were left over from a quilt my mom had made for me more than a decade ago.
After posting a few pictures of quilts, a friend reached out to ask if I could make her a rag baby quilt for her new baby boy who was due later in the year. I met her at Michael’s to pick out fabric and made a really cute blue blanket for her. It was my first rag quilt and it was pretty easy to do!
There was enough leftover in the scraps from the rag quilt that I made a small take-along blanket that matched.
In the spring, while on vacation at Capital Reef national park, I picked up a couple of quilt panels that I made into quilts that are still waiting to be long-armed. For some reason, I didn’t have a picture of first one I finished.
I also made myself a throw quilt using squares I started more than a decade ago. While my points on the star aren’t very good, I love how this quilt turned out and am enjoying covering up with it on a chilly evening.
I participated in a couple of mini mystery quilts through a group on Facebook. It was fun to do each step and then see how it all came together. The patterns will make great blocks to pull together into a full quilt. But, for now, I have made them into small wall hangings.
I went through my stash one day and decided to use a pattern that came with some templates and made a small wall hanging and then machine quilted it myself at home. I was pretty impressed with how it turned out once it was quilt. Prior to quilting, it wasn’t laying flat so I thought it wouldn’t turn out, but thankfully, it did!
In May, I visited my parents and my mom sent home some of her needle point panels with me. I quilted one of them into a throw blanket and love how it turned out. It quilts that one in straight lines on my machine at home.
I pieced together the other squares into a king-sized bed coverlet for their master bedroom. I took it when I went to visit for Thanksgiving and they loved it.
In October, I came across a pumpkin with a black cat pattern and decided to make it for my step-daughter and her fiancé as a table runner. They have 2 black cats so I thought this fit them perfectly.
And finally, I purchased a pattern for a table runner that used mini charm packs (pre-cut 2 1/2″ squares). It can be done however you want, but the pattern pictured on the card had ombre ‘ed the colors. I have MANY mini-charm packs in my stash, so I pulled out one with a fall design. I loved it so much, I pulled out another one for Christmas and made a couple of table runners.
There are a few more things I made over the past year that I don’t have pictures of. There are many more things to be made in this coming year!
Quilting is really fun! I love the process of taking something on its own and combining it with other things to turn it all into something beautiful!